The present invention relates to a easily transportable ladder, and more specifically to a ladder with a fixed wheel on one side of the base of the ladder.
Maintenance personnel commonly utilize one or more ladders for various tasks. Such ladders may be foldable (or step) ladders, or extension ladders. Step ladders may range from typical household step ladders which are generally six feet high, to maintenance step ladders which may be up to twelve feet high and weigh as much as forty five pounds or more. Extension ladders may similarly vary in length and weight, and may weigh over one hundred pounds.
Maintenance personnel may be required to frequently relocate ladders from one work site to the next, along with moving tools, fixtures, lights, etc. Carrying heavy ladders may prove both difficult and tiring, and therefore fatiguing to a worker, who must then climb the ladder to perform tasks. Such fatigue may result in slower performance of work, or in injury. Further, due to their length, ladders are generally only be carried on the right or left side, and as such, create an uneven load on the carrier's spinal column. In some cases, long term uneven loading may injure the spinal column and/or create liability for an employer.
Attempts have been made to reduce the effort required to move ladders, such as the removable castors taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,134 issued Jul. 15, 2003 for “Ladder Transport Systems.” The '134 patent teaches a removable caster held to a ladder by a “C Clamp” type device. While the device of the '134 patent address some of the needs, it does not allow the use of a large non-obtrusive or stable wheel for ladder transportation. A caster type wheel disadvantageously allows a ladder base to run down a slope, creating possibly dangerous situations. Also, the wheel of the '134 patent is entirely outside the profile of the ladder, which either limits the wheel size, or creates an undesirably large extension from the ladder.
Thus, a need remains for maintenance ladders which are easily and steadily transportable and reduce fatigue and injury resulting from carrying heavy ladders between job sites.